Anything new?

[Dismom+two]

I just started getting all the flower and bulb catalogs in the mail. Anyone thinking of trying to grow something different this year?? :flower3: :flower3:

Brenda

[DebºoºS]

Yes, I think I'm going to try and find a dark almost black Hollyhock. I saw it today on the P Allen Smith gardening show and it looked beautiful.
Here's a pic
http://www.pallensmith.com/images/GardenHome_nano.jpg Hollyhocks grow so well here that won't be the challenge. The challenge will be finding the seeds.

The catalogues are coming in here too :cool1:

[Dismom+two]

OH Beautiful!!! I tried Hollyhocks last year. I want to get more of them.
I have always wanted to try the Elephant Ears although being in Nh they would only be an annual.

[amid chaos]

Deb, I have those hollyhocks but the seeds grow into a different color. it is a beautiful plant and I treasure it. I got mine at the garden center many years ago. Good luck in your search.

I found a picture taken of mine last season.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b142/amidchaos/garden72004.jpg

[amid chaos]

OH Beautiful!!! I tried Hollyhocks last year. I want to get more of them.
I have always wanted to try the Elephant Ears although being in Nh they would only be an annual.
You can dig the elephant ears up at the end of the season, cut off the stems and store them in a cool dry place and plant them again the flollowing spring.

[Dismom+two]

OH that is true. I have thought of doing that with my Glads but found it easier and cheap enough to just buy new bulbs each year!

[mommytotwo]

I am going to try and plant more calla lillies, and also hanging plants.

[UrsulasShadow]

Yes, I think I'm going to try and find a dark almost black Hollyhock. I saw it today on the P Allen Smith gardening show and it looked beautiful.
Here's a pic
http://www.pallensmith.com/images/GardenHome_nano.jpg Hollyhocks grow so well here that won't be the challenge. The challenge will be finding the seeds.

The catalogues are coming in here too :cool1:
Those hollyhocks are gorgeous in person, aren't they? You should be able to find the seeds somewhere...if not, they're pretty popular in garden centers here in MA.

I'm just looking to see if all the things I planted last year are going to winter over okay. I went kind of wild with Heucheras this past fall, so I have 'Caramel', 'Amber Waves', 'Purple Petticoats', 'Petite Pearl Fairy' and 'Chinook', and I planted a few new grasses which are supposed to be hardier in NE, mostly Panicum 'Shenandoah' and Hakonechloa 'Aureola'. It's so hard working in a garden center...I want to bring EVERYTHING home!

[CajunDixie]

P Allen Smith gardening show

Can someone let me know what station this show is on? Thanks!!

Glad I popped over here to read the posts. I have a few catalogs that came and I stashed them on the bookcase and haven't read through them yet.

[DebºoºS]

Try this link for P Allen Smith Gardening showpallensmith (http://www.pallensmith.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=124&Itemid=153)

[DebºoºS]

I got mine at the garden center many years ago.
I found a picture taken of mine last season.

Just beautiful! Can't wait to try them. We usually get the pale pinks. DH enjoys planting Hollyhocks but he doesn't mark the spots. Sometimes he'll say "oh I planted Hollyhocks today. They're over there" As a result we have Hollyhocks popping up in combination with all sorts of flowers. I never used to like these random plantings but I find as I get older I like the unexpected splashes of color here and there.

I think I'll try Elephant Ear this year also. They may come back if I plant them in a sheltered location. My glads come back :flower3: here in NJ. They never used to on LI even though we're in the same zone.

[Zbaby]

I disagree.

[amid chaos]

I disagree.
Disagree with what?

[UrsulasShadow]

OH Beautiful!!! I tried Hollyhocks last year. I want to get more of them.
I have always wanted to try the Elephant Ears although being in Nh they would only be an annual.Look what I found in my mailbox this morning...buy caladiums, get the black elephant ear for free.

Brecks special promotion (http://brecks.com/product.asp?pn=66540&sid=709528&EID=011706br&eicioi=404382)
Oh, and for those of you looking for some nice black hollyhocks, from a really good company....Johnny's Selected Seeds (http://www.johnnysseed.com/catalog/product.aspx?heirloom=1&item=1081)

[UrsulasShadow]

Never mind. Hey, Mods, whatever happened to the Ignore option?

[UrsulasShadow]

Disagree with what?
Where's the ignore button when you need it?

[ImarriedGrumpy]

I am going to try and plant more calla lillies, and also hanging plants.

I'm also hoping to plant some more calla lillies - we have the tall white ones growing like weeds along the driveway, but I'd like to try and see if some of the pretty, smaller colored varieties will do well. There's a lovely plant called "southern charm verbascum" that I've always wanted to try growing. Now that I'm in a climate where it might work I'd love to try it!

I'm really new to gardening - this is my first home and my first garden and yard since I lived with my parents in high school. Plus I've moved from the Midwest to N Cal so I feel like I'm learning everything all over again.

[UrsulasShadow]

There's another verbascum that you ought to try, called "Jackie" that's absolutely beautiful (peach) and another I like called "Plum Smokey" (a smokey plum, who'd have thunk?). Just in case you can't find "Southern Charm".

[ImarriedGrumpy]

Do you know what conditions are ideal for verbascum? We're making plans for new landscaping this year, and I'm still trying to figure out the best place to attempt the verbascum. It's so fun to be plotting and planning for a garden! We've got our new patio and pathway in place, and now we're trimming up our lemon, apricot, and cherry trees. It's exciting...I'm looking forward to trying some new things.

[UrsulasShadow]

Do you know what conditions are ideal for verbascum? We're making plans for new landscaping this year, and I'm still trying to figure out the best place to attempt the verbascum. It's so fun to be plotting and planning for a garden! We've got our new patio and pathway in place, and now we're trimming up our lemon, apricot, and cherry trees. It's exciting...I'm looking forward to trying some new things.
Verbascum like it dry, and sunny. They prefer alkaline soil, so if yours is acidic, lay down a little lime in the spring. Don't make the soil too rich...they're used to stony hillsides and waste areas, believe it or not! Don't mulch too close to them, or they'll rot.

[DebºoºS]

Thanks for the links :cool1: They look just like the ones I want.:flower3:

Look what I found in my mailbox this morning...buy caladiums, get the black elephant ear for free.

Brecks special promotion (http://brecks.com/product.asp?pn=66540&sid=709528&EID=011706br&eicioi=404382)
Oh, and for those of you looking for some nice black hollyhocks, from a really good company....Johnny's Selected Seeds (http://www.johnnysseed.com/catalog/product.aspx?heirloom=1&item=1081)